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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



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A CALIFORNIA TALE, 



v^i^ B Y ^"* 



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-*JMiSG:iIS*A>S' 




S*N JOSE: 

MERCORT STEAM PRINT. 

1882. 



ft '' ' ''I 

.-3 5^ 



Eutercd according to Act of Congress, in the jeiir 1882, by 

MARCUS A. STEWART, 
lu the ofiicc of the Lihrarian of Congress, at Washington. 



3)-5-6l<^ 



To ALL WHO LOVE OtJB 

GOLDEN LAND, 

THIS LITTLE VOLUME IS 

BESPECTFULtv DEDICATED 

BY THE AUTHOR. 



-^FIEFAGE^^ 



The following poem is grouiuled on circumstances familiar to 
almost every readtu-. M;vny have h«:ird uf Joaquin Mukikxta, bio 
depredations, the rewards oftVred for him. and his supposed capture 
by Capt. Harry Love and party ; and many have seen the bead on 
exhibition at Jordan's Museum. Whether it is <•/ rubcsn tlr Joaquin 
or not, I do not pretend to say. 

The other characters, with the exception of the heroine, are im- 
aginary^ Something similar to her story went the rounds of the 
press a few years ago, under the title of " Charley Parkhurst." 

The truth of this tale, iu any particular, is not vouchL-d for, the 
only endeavor having been to weave the outlines of the stories con- 
cerning the two mentioned characters into a single narrative, which 
might possibly afford the reader some amusement. 

That it may, without provoking too much criticism, is the hope of 

THE AUTHOR. 



li®SJia^ 



— '!♦ — 

^I^^AIL ! El Dorado, ever dressed 
^'^lyl^Iu Nature's grandest, fairest, best;. 
■II^'^J Unrivaled work of Father Time, 
> Who blent the flowers of every clime 

!To form thy wreath, and bid thee rise, 
Earth's last and loveliest paradise. 

Of all the travelers who explore 
Our golden land from hill to shore, 
But few remark, tho' many roam 
In sight of it, a mountain dome 
Which rises happily between 
Three valleys, robed in gold and green. 
Tho' thousands trace those vales below, 
Their wildest dreams can ne'er bestow 
One glimmer of the scenes that rise 
To thrill the hearts and bless the eyes 
Of all who scale in beauty's quest, 
Loma Prieta's hoary crest. 
And tho' the tourist oft" laments 
The winding path and steep ascents, 



ROSITA : 

He there enjoys as pure ji bife/e 
As ever blessed h traveler's ease, 
And basks beneath as bright a ray 
As ever charmed the dews away; 
And condescending to bestow 
One glance ujiun the scenes below, 
He yiehls to Nature's witching spell, 
Believes his toil repaid full well, 
And calls that summit round and bare 
A captured " castle in the air." 

Sweet memory, with gentle power, 

Brings back to us one happ^' hour 

Of all our thoughtless youthful days. 

Again from Loma's crest we gaze, 

And once again beneath our eyes 

The vale of Santa Clara lies, 

A maze of forests, fields and streams, 

So softly beautiful it seems, 

The famed Elysium of the West; 

'Tis there the garden cities rest. 

Like rural sisters, face to face, 

AVithin the arborous embrace 

Of that renowned and lovely way, 

The Alameda, rich to-day 

In centiiries of leaf and bloom. 

There Flora waves her fairest plume. 

And every turret, dome and tower 



A CALIFORNIA TALE. 

Arises from a leafy bower, 

And every cottage smiles beneath 

Its dooryard trees and rustling wreath 

Of tangled vines, and there tLe green 

Of lawns and meadows may be seen. 

In variegated shadows wove 

From stream to stream and grove to grove. 

Mount Hamilton stands guard above 

This vale of plenty, peace and love; 

Diablo northward rises bleak; 

To southward looms Pacheco Peak, 

x\nd ranged between, a thousand hills 

Enrobed in forests, gemmed with rills, 

Bespangled with the fairest hues 

Of nature, gradually lose 

Their rounded shapes, as far and high 

They lift their faces toward the sky. 

Ah, haj^py valley, thou art dear 

To many a hardy pioneer. 

Whose heart, once bounding with delight, 

Still pulses feebly at thy sight; 

Forgetting in thy bright array 

To wail its own declining day; 

And dearer, lovelier thou art 

To those who ne'er were forced to part 

With other ties and scenes, to roam 

And find in thee a second home. 



i{f»siTA : 

Aud thou art licli in i)iotly themes 
For sajjes' arts or i)oets' dreams; 
For here of yore the Spanish priest 
His treasures and his power increased, 
In ex))eetation of a day 
Devoted to reliyfious sway; 
Aud liere beneath tlie evening star 
Tlie herdsman tuned the sweet guitar, 
And waking to the serenade 
The dusky Mexicano maid 
Came dancing down the path to greet 
The lover sighing at her feet. 
Aud many a bahuy summer night 
The low adobes glimmered bright 
With i)endant torches, and the souml 
Of mirth aud nuisic floated round, 
As young and aged tripped the gay 
Fandango atep till break of day. 

But why should fancy linger here? 
Those scenes are lost in many a year. 
Those memories now are vague and strange, 
And only serve to mark the change 
Achieved b}' time; but southward look 
O'er ridge and canyon, grove and brook. 
O'er rolling liills and meadows brown, 
Uiwn two valleys sloping down 
In hazy grandeur to the sea 



A 0ALI^'0R^■1A TALE. 

That rolls beyond theiii, Louudless, free. 

And briglitly glimmering in the beams 

Of Phcebus, whose deep luster seems 

To cast a tint of gladness o'er 

The beauteous scenes that lie before. 

Behold the lakes that gleam afar, 

Each as palely as a star; 

The rivers in their winding beds 

Glistening like silver threads, 

The summits of the blue divide, 

And ranging far on either side 

The purj^le" hills, where forests verg^ 

Like armies downward to the surge. 

Oh, where does Nature yet bestow 

A lovelier scene than this below — 

The beauteous vale of Pajaro 

And yonder broad Salinas plain, 

Extending downward to the main? 

Upon the left old Monterey, 

The faded mistress of the bay. 

Looks out upon the rolling wave 

Like Rip Van Winkle from his cave, 

A score of years behind the da}^ ;■ 

And far across the gleaming way 

Of crested waves that heave and toss, 

The city of the Holy Cross 

Flings back at her a modern smile 

As if to say, " Behold my style 



la 



ROSITA : 

III wondrous contrast to your owu; 

And niiirk, my queeu, bow old you've grown 

Since first reclined on this fair shore 

You woe lulled to sleep by ocean's roar." 

Alas, my genius seems too cold, 

My style tcjo tame to well ex})ress 
Wlnit tourists feel when they behold 

These scenes in all their loveliness; 
E'en as an artist's pictured bloom 
Must lack the native tiower's perfume, 
So my poor sketch each joy denies 
That Nature clothes in loveliest guise. 
But you who care to feel a glow 
Of health and pure delight, forego 
The cares of life for one brief day, 
Pursue the wild and devious way 
To Loma's height and you will find 

A thousand beauties yet unsung, 
The least of which may oft remind 

How weakly my poor harj) was strung. 
And when your raptured eyes survey 
The lovely landscape of my lay, 
Oh, may some half forgotten tale 
Fling newer charms o'er hill and dale, 
'Till Fancy, rising as your guide, 
Puts intervening years aside, 
And hand in hand with her vou traze 



A CALIFORNIA TALE. 11 



On these fair scenes in other days, 
As I have done, then not amiss 
Perchance may come a dream like this: 



It is the closing hour of day. 
And Sol, resplendent o'er the bay. 
Seems bending nearer to admire 
His wave-reflected shape of fire; 
And flashing still an ardent glance 
Across the glittering blue expanse. 
He folds himself in fleecy shroud 
Of ocean mist and gathering cloud, 
And palely beaming sinks to sleep 
Beyond the boundaries of the deep; 
While far within the western blue 
A glorious solar retinue 
Appears to slowly move and change 
Its shapes fantastic, rich and strange. 
Still dee^Der, darker, denser growing, 
'Till silvery twilight inward flowing. 
Extends her veil and twinkles far 
Across the wave the evening star. 
And now ajjpears on Loma's liight 
A red unwavering gleam of light. 
So small that from the vales afar 
It might be deemed a rival star; 
Yet many a swarthy half-breed knows 



12 



Its sc'c'if't iin})ort an it ^luws; 

And in;uiy a villain nods his head. 

And many a villainous ybuice is read 

By aiiswcriijo- cyt'S, and many a steed 

Is from the stake or hobhle freed 

To bear its master tbr<iug-h the nij^^iit 

In swift response to yonder li^ht, — 

The mute command, the signal fire, 

Exjiressing well Joaquin's desire. 

Joacjuin, the far-famed robber ehief. 

Whose captured head would bring relief 

To many a heart, whose blood-stained brand 

Still Hashes terror o'er the land, — 

Whose very name has grown to be 

A source of fear while he is free. 

The first and fiercest in the fray, 

The last to cause or brook delay. 

The keenest still to plan or foil, 

Yet sharing equally the sjjoil 

So often seizetl by him alone, 

By every follower is he known 

As captain worthy to command 

Thc! wildest desperado band 

That ever trod our golden land. 

This eve, as daylight's latest glow, 

Ascending from the vales below, 

Lit up -with ruddy, lingering ray, 

The mountain sununit, rough and gray, 



A CALIFORNIA TALE. 

I saw hira, with accustomed speed, 

Equip and mount his restless steed, 

Wave once his scarf in fond adieu, 

To answering friends, and dash from view 

Along the secret winding trail 

That leads him downward to the vale, 

And ere an hour he meets his crew 

In some far distant rendezvous; 

But tho' all reckless he may roam 

From Loma's breast, his safest home, 

The place is never desolate, 

For there uneasy hearts await 

And pray his speedy safe return ; 

And there at night the signals burn, 

O'erlooked by friends as true and tried 

As e'en the bravest by his side. 

The watch-fire bright on Loma's height 

Sends sparks in myriads upward wheeling, 
Its ruddy light dispelling night 

In wide and circled space revealing 
The scattered clumps of chaj)arral 
That dot the summit's distant swell ; 
The soil bestrewed with boulders round, 
A hobbled steed, a restless hound, 
And near the fire so brightly shining. 
Two ladies fair on robes reclining; 
Tlieir forms attired ip that disguise 



13 



14 KOSITA ; 

Which hides all features save the eyes; 

But theirs, tho' jjceriiig' from their shawls. 

Are brighter than the light that falls 

Upon their depths from yonder blaze 

To be returned in lovelier rays, 

And rival e'en the jewels bright 

That gleam on hands so small and white. 

Each lady's air of fearless grace 

Appears unnatural in a place 

So wild and lone, for neither seems 

To hear the night-hawlv's thrilling screams- 

The deep "tu who" of forest owls. 

The far coyote's mournful howls, 

Or e'en that worst of dismal sounds, 

The panther's cry, which oft resounds 

Upon the breeze. One looks afar. 

Nor deigns to heed the light guitar 

That slips low murmuring to her feet; 

The other shapes a cigarette. 

And rising with it 'twixt her lips 

Procures a brand, and deftly tips 

Its end with fire, the while she breathes 

Upon the" air ascending wreathes 

Of scented smoke; as back she hies 

Her lovely mate upstarting ci'ies: 

" Rosita, see on Gabilan 
The first unfoldmeut of our jjlan; 



A CALIFORNIA TALE. 15 

And there the sister star we seek 
Is glmimering on Pacheco Peak; 
Oh, that their radiance could impart 
One ray of comfort to my heart, — 
One lingering hope that fate will bless 
This A^euturous stroke with that success 
Which we have merited so well. 
For, oh, the past has been a hell 
Of which the lightest memories seem 
Like horrid phantoms of a dream — 
Too vivid in its horrors e'er 
To be forgotten. Yet I dare 
Not hope again, for time at last 
May shape the future like the past." 



"Cheer up, Marie, this wakened grief 
O'er troubles past is no relief. 
Nor can despair which oft fulfills 
Avert anticipated ills. 
Methinks a fortnight in its flight 
Will change thy fear to calm delight, 
Thy woe to weal, our lonely cave 
For happy lionies beyond the wave, 
Where they to whom our hearts belong 
May soon forget the robber's song 
In happier themes, and cease to rove 
From wives that only live to love." 



|(> ROSITA : 

"Ah, dear Rosita, chide lue not 
For griefs that cannot be forgot; 
Nor think Joaquin's unhapi:)^' wife 
"Would cease to trim the taper life; 
Althougli with hope 'tis waxing dim, 
'Twill blaze again at thought of him; 
And tho' this dread has thinned my cheek 
Unstrung my nerves and made me weak, 
' The dark forebodings of my soul 

Are ne'er so far beyond control 
That one sweet word from him can fail 
To blot the fears that most prevail." 

" Forget those fears; let hope restore 
Thee to thy happy self once more; 
Take up again thy loved guitar 
As oft beneath a hai>pier star, 
Attune with joy its loosened string, 
And as our mingled voices ring 
To answering echoes, heaven above 
Will grant success to those we love; 
And these lone hours will flit away 
With all our griefs to brighter day." 
This said, advancing to the tire, 
Rosita heaps the fa<^gots higher. 
While fair Marie upon her couch 
Lifts her guitar, and with a touch 



A CALIFOIINIA TALE. 

Adjusting quick the tuneful strings, 
Strikes sweet accompaniment and sings: 

No more, my harp, shall notes of woe 

With thy pure tones be interwove; 
My heart and hand must thee forego, 

Or wake thy strings to joy and love; 
For touched with sorrow hearts and strings 

Are better mute, that none may share: 
While love or joy in either springs 

To music sweet beyond compare. 

As wandering oft in memory's vale 

My heart seeais overcharged with grief, 
I fly to thee and cannot fail 

To find in music quick relief. 
A theme of love or joyful strain 

Re-echoes softly in my breast; 
'Till thrilled with pleasure once again 

My heart forgets its deep unrest. 

And, gentle harp, as danger lowers 

O'er absent loved ones as they roam, 
Thy inelody shall wing the hours 

And bid those wanderers welcome Lome, 
A song of gladness then shall ring, 

And as the hills and dales renew 
The joyful numbers, we will fling 

To woe and grief a last adieu. 

Ah dies tlie strain upon tlie breeze. 
The songstress quits her couch of ease, 



17 



18 



And moving full into tlie red 

And gliniraering firelight bares her head, 

And stands revealed in form and face, 

A beauteous type of all her race. 

Although the constant hand of care 

Has t(jnched her cheeks, once round and fair, 

They still are lovely and as pale 

As sister lilies of the vale; 

And all nnlike some softer dame's, 

Which e'en the lightest breath inflames, 

With warmer tints are never dyed, 

Tho' passion swell a mighty tide, 

But oft reveal a deeper lack 

Of life-like hue. Her eyes as black 

As ravens' wings, so softly shine 

Beneath the eyebrows' jjenciled line. 

That none could deem her glance more bright 

Were each dark orb a "mount of light," 

As precious and serenely pure 

As that famed jewel Kohinoor. 

The life that thrills in every vein 

Has touched her lips with rosy stain; 

And oft those lips disclose beneath 

Their parting curves a glimpse of teeth 

As true and white as strings of pearls; 

And save the dark and clustering curls 

By mountain breezes thus displaced, 

Her wavy hair is backward laid, 



A CAUFOUNIA TAI.E. 10 

And drawn behind in nuissive braid 

That reaches far below lier waist; 

And robed in rich tlio' simple dress 

Which well dis2")iays her comeliness, 

She seems of Avoman's average height; 

And as she walks her step is light, 

Yet firm, and all her movements free; 

And this is Joaqnin's wife, Marie. 

In features, form and native grace, 

Rosita takes no second i^lace; 

For well proportioned, tall and straight, 

And somewhat larger than her mate. 

She is what many a man desires, 

A woman whom the world admires. 

Her eyes, although a violet blue. 

Appear at times of deeper hue. 

And meet your own as if they caught 

In swiftest glance your inmost thought, 

And yet a second glance will win 

In spite of you. With dimpled chin, 

Well rounded cheeks, complexion fair. 

Small mouth, white teeth, and auburn hair 

Which hangs in ringlets all about 

Her handsome face, she is no doubt 

The haj^jDiest tempered of the two; 

And yet of all the robber crew 

Who mark her beauty and admire. 

Not one would dare provoke her ire, 



20 EOSITA . 

And e'en the roughest of the band 
Would kneel or iight at her command. 
Although her every glance reveals 
The scorn and deep contempt she feels 
For him and all his mates, save one, 
And he her reckless heart has won . 
E'en now her fancies idly rove 
With liim in dreams of blissful love. 
All undisturbed till fair Marie 
Breaks in upon her reveiie : 

" Rosita, though a stranger ear 
Might deem my hopeful words sincere. 
Your own must still detect the pain 
That echoes in my happiest strain; 
Your loving heart must feel with grief 
That feigning joy is no relief. 
To mine, which hopelessly beats on. 
Nor coinfort finds in pleasures gone.'' 

" Tho' hopeless now, thou soon shalt learn 
That vanished pleasures oft return, 
Intensified by all the fears 
And sutt'erings of weary years. 
Thy husband has avenged thy wrongs, 
To him thy loving soul belongs; 
With him still striving to retrieve 
His shattered fortunes, thou shouldst heave 



A CALIFORNIA TALE. 21 

No broken sighs, let full uo tears 
O'er b3'gone ills or vanished years; 
But live and hope, tho' black despair 
Into thy very eyes should stare." 
Then turning quickly from Marie 
She takes tlie harj:) as if to free 
Her luind of thoughts endured too long, 
A,nd this the burden of her sonj?: 



Oil, the love of my lover's as steady and trut- 

As light from the pole star above; 
And contented I wander this happy world throu<^h 

And deem it a heaven of love. 
And to mariners tossed on the sea, 

Yon star is no deeper delight 
Than the thought of his love to ine, 

lu adversity's gloomiest night. - * 

I 

Oh, the love of iiiy lover's as Ijoiiudless and deep 

As ocean's blue fathomless wave; 
Every joy is disclo-sed in its passionate sweep 

That the heai't of .1 maiden could crave. 
And the anthem of ocean may be 

A joy to the gay summer throng, 
But the voice of his love to me 

Is a sweeter, moii' rapturous song. 

Oh, the love of my lover's as needful to me 

As sunlight to wild growing flowers; 
And my heart in his jiresence grows happy and free, 

And swift seems tin- flight of the hours. 



22 RosiTA r 

Like a flower released by the sun, 
From the chill clews which over it hover, 

My heart ivoui its sorrow is won 

When I bask in the suiile of my lover. 

Ere the guitar's liannonious strings 
Have ceased their fitful murmurings, 
A distant whistle, clear and shrill, 
Re-echoes down from hill to hill, 
And seems to die in murmurs low 
1 Among the shadowy groves below. 

The fair ones rise with sudden bound 
And Hash their startled eyes around, 
As once again, and nearer still. 
It wakes the echoes with its trill; 
But ere the last long quaver dies 
Along the breeze, Eosita cries: 
"'Tis he, 'tis he," and to her lip 
Places an ivory whistle's tip. 
And swells a note as long and clear 
As that which lately met her ear; 
And now the whistlers seem to vie, 
And sliarp and quick the signals fly. 
Till all the hill-tops seem to ring; 
The night-hawk answers on the wing; 
Tlie hound starts uj) with muflied bay; 
The horse returns a distant neigh. 
And feeding, turns a listening ear. 
For clattering hoofs are drawing near. 



u'\ 



IK 



"X 



A CALIFORNIA TALE. 23 

Alights a bold, impetuous guest, 
And clasps Rosita to his breast, 
And presses on her lips and cheeks 
A score of kisses ere he speaks. 
She neither shrinks from that embrace 
Nor turns aside her blushing face, 
But lifts to his her sparkling eyes. 
Wherein love's truest token lies. 
And heightens all the moment's bliss 
By clasp for clasj) and kiss for kiss. 
One moment thus her yielding charms 
Are clasped within her lover's arms; 
The next her mistress cries, " Ramon, 
What brings you here so late alone? 
Joaquin?" — " Is safe, and far from here; 
He bade me whisjaer in your ear: 
'Fear not for me, but straight retire 
Within the cave, 'tis my desire; 
There lie concealed 'till my return. 
And let the watch-fire cease to burn, 
Ere it becomes a guiding star 
To foes as well as friends afar; 
For o'er the country far and wide 
The cursed vigilantes ride. 
To gain the price upon my head; 
Their cry, 'Joaquin alive or dead'; 
And as they vainly search for me. 
My love, they must not pounce on thee.' 



24 KosiTv : 

These were his words, they eliarm tliine ear; 

Farewell — too long I tarrv hei-e. 

liusita, quick, for I must tiy; 

One kiss — another — sweet good by." 

Tlie brands that lit the mountain si(h^ 
Are quenched and scattered far and wide; 
And Lonia's height, where lately shone 
The light of beauty, rising lone 
And dark against the moonlit skies, 
Betrays nor gleam of starry eyes. 
Nor graceful forms; within its breast 
Its denizens have sunk to rest; 
And grimly, silently it stands 
The sentinel of sleeping lands. 



Frojn canyon-hidden springs and rills, 

"Within the bosom of the hills, 

The ever sparkling Uvas roves, 

Adown the gulches, through the groves; 

Or winding on from tangled brakes 

Across the verdant meadt)W takes 

Its shining course, till wider spread 

In ripples o'er a pebbly bed; 

Its waters circle in their race 

Against a mighty boulder's base. 



A CALIFORNIA TALE. 

Abruptly rising- by the stream, 

That rock discloses many a seam, 

And rounded cleft as truly formed 

As if by art the work performed; 

And oft the traveler surveys 

Those clefts and fissures in amaze; 

Nor quite believes that time alone 

Has carved so vi^onderful a stone. 

My youthful eyes did oft explore 

This lovely spot in days of jore, 

And mark the rugged mountain height; 

The massive rock uj)on the right; 

The grassy slope beneath my feet; 

And just beyond the silvery sheet 

Of rippling water shadowed o'er 

By scattered clumps of sycamore, 

And willows that like maidens seem 

To dip their tresses in the stream. 

But in the days of dread Joaquin 

No little school house could be seen; 

Nor modest church across the way; 

No country urchins at their play, 

With shouts and laughter thrilled the ear, 

But oft the traveler paused to hear 

The distant sound of lowing herds, 

Th€ happy notes of forest birds; 

The mellow whistle of the quail, 

The bubbling brook and sighing gale; 



25 



26 RosiTA : 

The eagle overhead did scream, 

The wild deer wandered to the stream; 

The hare disported in the sun, 

All fearless of the hounds and gun; 

Gi'ay squirrels barked in every tree, 

And Nature's breath was harmony. 

If here to-day his eye could range 

How sadly would he mark the change; 

For year by year the hand of man. 

Convulsing Nature's happy jolan. 

In dull ambition would revise 

"What first was formed a paradise; 

And soon the sweltering crowds who fly 

The dingy city's smoky sky. 

And to the hills and groves repair 

To catch a breath of wholesome air, 

May find that Nature cannot grant 

The rural joys for which they pant. 



'Tis night, fair Luna hides her beam, 
And dark is Uvas' running stream, 
And darker still the rock above, 
But lights are flashing in the grove; 
For in that lonely safe retreat 
The robber chieftain waits to greet 
The members of his lawless band. 
Assembling fast at his command; 



A CALIFORNIA TALE. 27 

And closely folded in his cloak 
He stands beneath a mighly oak, 
Apart and silent, yet, I ween, 
The wildest spirit of the scene. 
From branches low the lanterns shine, 
Beneath in groups the men recline; 
And hobbled horses limp around. 
Clipping the hei-bage from the ground. 
Or reaching lazily to browse 
Among the overhanging boughs; 
And oft the stillness sharply wakes 
At stamping hoof, or twig tbat breaks. 
Or restless robber's smothered oath, 
Which well betrays a spirit loth 
To bear restraint; and when is heard 
The hoot of night's unquiet bird — 
Their signal cry — and from the group 
Some villain answers with a whoop 
So well attuned that stranger nigh 
Would never deem it human cry. 
The echoes waken far and near 
The mountain air so still and clear. 
At length Joaquin in Spanish tongue 
Calls Mariana from among 
The restless throng: "Lieutenant, come, 
The men are growing troublesome; 
To Powers' cabin, give the word. 
My latest plans shall there be heard." 



28 



AuJ througli the grove at swiftest pace 
He leads them toward the try sting place,— 
A redwood cabin large and low, 
'Gainst which in wild confusion grow 
The clambering vine and poison oak, 
Entwined so thickly as to cloak 
The old and storm- wracked frame beneath. 
Above the roof-tree curls a wreath 
Of silvery smoke, and from the door 
The ruddy firelight dances o'er 
The sward in front, where now Joaquin 
Pauses to see, himself unseen. 
Before the lire his host alone 
Sits like a king upon his throne; 
His elbow on a table rests, 
And all unconscious of his guests, 
He pull's his pipe, and nods and winks, 
Then tips his glass and slowly drinks, 
And as he lifts a bottle near 
Joaquin's low voice salutes his ear: 

"Powers." "Joaquin, oho, my friends," 
And low before the chief he bends. 

"Next to the devil I love his chum; 
Come in, my bould guerrillas, come." 
And as he speaks, from out the gloom 
Full fifty villains crowd the room, 
And seat themselves at Powers' call ^ 
On stools and benches 'gainst the wall. 



A CALIFORNIA TALE. 

"Now boys," cries he, with a happy wink, 
"Ye must be dry, so what'll ye drink? 
Whisky, of course," a clinking sound, 
And glass meets glass the table round. 
The sparkling liquor fills each cup. 
And Powers cries, "Me hearties, sup." 
Advancing, lifting from the board 
Their glasses high, with one accord 
All shout "Joaquin!" Their leader bows: 
"My friends," cries he, "the law allows 
For each and all the hangman's rope; 
That we deserve it is my hope; 
And lest that hope we fail to win, 
The evening's busiaess shall begin." 
His broad sombrero meets the floor, 
The cloak conceals his form no more; 
And as his men their seats resume, 
Full in the center of the room 
Their chieftain stands erect and tall. 
His golden locks in clusters fall 
O'er shoulders broad; his handsome face 
Now well revealed betrays no trace 
Of lurking evil; and his eyes 
As brightly blue as summer skies, 
Are glancing free; a long mustache 
Conceals his lips, save when a flash 
Of 2-littering teeth reveals a smile 
Which might suspicion's self beguile. 



29 



30 RosiTA : 

Strapped to bis heels are silvca- spurs, 

Wliich jingle softly as lie stirs, 

And a leathern belt is round his waist. 

In ■which are sheathed revolvers placed, 

In perfect readiness for a hand, 

The swiftest, truest in the land. 

He waves that hand, and round the ball 

All eyea ujion their leader fall, 

And silence greets him as he bends 

A courteous glance upon his friends, 

And thus continues: "You must know 

To what untoward events I owe 

My avocation and my fame, 

Ere my too willing lips shall name 

This meeting's drift; your hearts shall share 

A grief which once I thought to bear 

Alone forever, — 'tis your due, 

And thus these memories I renew. 

Unnecessary it appears 

To dwell too long on earlier years — 

Years that were all too bright to last; 

I pass them swiftly, as they passed. 

And lift the veil, where, as a man, 

TSly sad experiences began. 

I then was young, and gay, and proud. 

With health and energy endowed; 

But inactivity soon begot 

Such discontentment for my lot. 



A CALIFORNIA TALE. 

That all tlie joys of love and home 

Were powerless 'gaiust the wish to roam. 

Fortune is free for all, I cried; 

I'll win a competence for my bride; 

A name and fame which one so fair 

And good as she with prida may share. 

Ambition's banner ne'er unfurled 

O'er fairer fields in this wide world 

Than California now bestows; 

I'll seek that golden shore, nor lose 

A moment's time. 'Wouldst thou begone 

And leave thy loving spouse alone ? 

Wouldst thou for wealth or fame divide 

From one who lives but by thy side ?' 

Ah, never, never, then I cried; 

Let thy adieus, thy tears be brief; 

Give all to hope and naught to grief; 

In one short week Ave gain a shore 

Than which no faii'er lists the roar 

Of ocean waves. Too long to tell, 

Of V03\age rough and what befell; 

Suffice to say a fortnight rolled. 

And we had passed the Gate of Gold, 

And dropped our anchors in the bay; 

And as those scenes around us lay 

I little thought this land should yield 

To^rime of mine so fair a field. 

Away to the hills we quickly sped, 



31 



32 RosiTA : 

By golden hopes and visions led, 
And soon with shovel, pick and pan, 
My way to fortune I hegan, 
lu circumstances, as ihey say; 
For hoi^e may cheer us for a day; 
But love and hope together wield 
A mighty power, and I was steeled 
Against discouragement too well 
To tamely yield, whate'er hefel. 
Unused to drudgery 'twas hard, 
But perseverance brings reward, 
And three short months had hardly flown 
Ere fortune had her favor shown, 
Remunerating toil and trust 
With many an ounce of glittering dust, 
Which only served t' increase my lust 
And my ambition; thus enchanted. 
Along the road to wealth I j^antcd; 
Ne'er dreaming that I fiercely toiled 
To be at last o'ercome, despoiled — ■ 
Robbed of my all and forced to fliglit 
By villains who made miglit their right. 
Think not the life I sought to save 
W^as mine; my spirit well could brave 
The danger of th' unequal strife; 
But she was dearer far than life; 
And I, her love, her faith, her shield, 
For her sweet sake must calmly yield. 



A CALIFORNIA TALE. 

And seek some safer, happier field. 
We sought, we found, I toiled in vain, 
Again despoiled, and yet again; 
And with the last time wild despair 
And frenzy filled me; I could bear 
No more, no more, and fiercely rushed 
To crush th' invaders, and was crushed. 
Unconscious there, and left for dead. 
Full many an hour had swiftly sped 
Ere I awoke. The day was done, 
And o'er the western peaks the sun 
Was slowly sinking from my gaze. 
As stiff and sore I tried to rjiise 
My weary frame, and half collect 
My wandering senses; little recked 
I of myself when they returned ; 
Of her my thought, for her I yearned; 
And faintly calling her dear name. 
To which no wonted answer came 
I dragged myself on hands and knees, 
And gained by painful, slow degrees 
Our cabin door; I fovmd her there. 
And thought her dead, aud in despair 
I moaned above her prostrate form, 
And kissed her cheeks and "lips yet warm, 
And swore an oath that should I live 
Her dastard murderers each should give 
His heart's best blood for this and then 



34 



Unconsciousness returneil again. 

She was not dead, and I regained 

What little life to me remained, 

And nursed her well till strength returned; 

And then from her dear lips I learned 

To what a shameful, deep distress 

She was subjected; you may guess 

What I could not have well believed 

If from another's lips received. 

From that sad day I bade adieu 

To drudgery, and sought a now 

And surer road to wealth and faine, 

And in it I have'gained a name 

Which seems a terror to the land; 

And better far, this ruthless band 

Has sent to swift destruction all 

Wlio forced me surely toward my fall. 

Revenge is sweet, and vice is sweet, 

And honesty is but a cheat; 

For vice hath led me as a guide 

To tl)at which virtue long denied. 

But now of vice and vengeance both 

I've had a surfeit, and am loth 

To longer tread this cursed land. 

Which yields to me no friendly hand, 

And save the remnant of my band 

And her I love, no bai)py tie 

To bind my heart. Oh, Liberty, 



A CALIFORNIA TALE. 35 

With love and thee I fain would roam, 
And seek again my boyhood's home; 
A father's blessing tliere receive, 
There bid a mother cease to grieve; 
And there, afar from strife and gloom, 
A life of happiness resume, 
Amid the scenes which once my eyes 
Were blind enough to half despise." 
A murmur low goes round the hall 
As from his lips the last Avords fall, 
And many a listener turns his eyes 
Upon his chieftain in surprise. 
As if to mark what sudden change 
Had wrought a sentiment so strange 
In one whose dearest joy in life 
Had seemed to be its yielded strife. 
Each startled glance the speaker reads, 
And yet composedl}"" proceeds: 
"My trusted friends and comrades true, 
One last request I make of you; 
Release me quickly from an oath 
Which binds me fast to scenes I loath, 
For now my work of vengeance done, 
And fortune's smile so nearly won. 
Each day, each hour I linger here 
But makes this cursed land apjiear 
More dark and hateful to my sight; 
Its very beauties urge my flight; 



36 R08ITA : 

For ouce those beauties lured me on 
Till hope and life almost were gone. 
Accept my resignation now, 
Release me as our laws allow; 
Here let me greet with equal hand 
Each separate member of the band, 
And then farewell for evermore 
To California's siren shore." 
As round the room he swiftly moves 
Not one of all the band approves, 
And yet among them none withdraw, 
So long his word has been their law. 
In turn he greets them, and in turn 
The absolvatory oath is sworn. 
And thanks returned, until at last 
The j)oiut is gained, the ordeal past. 
And he is free to bid farewell 
To all that makes his life a hell. 
But rises now confusion wild, 
For few as yet are reconciled 
To this unlooked for change, which seems 
A deadly blow to all their schemes; 
And disappointment fans the flame, 
Till boisterously they sliout his name 
Coujiled with angry oaths and cries, 
To which all tiercel}' he replies: 
^"Because I thus perforce resign. 
Must you for answer howl and whine 



A CALIFORXIA TALE. 37 

Appearing even at your best , 
Like poodle j^uppies in your ne^t? 
Ye cowards! shame! I tliouglit ye men, 
And left ye free to choose again 
Some worthy leader. Come, Eamou, 
We'll leave the hounds to howl alone." 
And scornful laughter smites their ears 
As with Ramon he disappears. 
They move in silence till they stand 
Within the grove where met the band, 
And there Joaquin, in tone suppressed. 
Tells what his mate ere this has guessed; 
Of richest booty to be won 
Ere shines on high another sun. 
"Yon devils should have shared the spoil 
Had they not sought with wild turmoil 
To fright me from my jDurpose new, 
Of bidding them and hell adieu. 
As 'tis, me thinks they'll soon disband — 
Perchance ere we have left the strand; * 

For Lynch's hounds will fright them some, 
And sloth will finish them; but come, 
We'll rest within these sheltering bowers, 
To-morrow makes the booty ours. 



Meanwhile, deserted by their chief, 
The banded villains seek relief 



42 BOSiTA : 

t 
Till his very haunches touch the ground. 
Then quick recovered, treiu'unng stands 
A very slave in his master's hands. 
That master sounds the signal cry, 
Again and again the echoes die, 
But wakes no answer far or near; 
And oh 'tis vain to tarry here, 
And worse than vain to hie him back^ 
For fierce pursuers are on his track; 
He hears them now: "Away my steed, 
For thou art fleet, and well the need 
Of fleetness now with strength combined^ 
For Lynch's hounds are close behind. 



Now smiles the scene, for night is gone, 
And faint and silvery streaks of dawn 
Herald a day as fair and bright 
As e'er succeeded gloomy night; 
But the brightest day may seem more drear 
Than the darkest night to the glance of fear; 
And the night of gloom flits all to fast 
When a mortal deems that night his last. 
The mountain mists have curled away. 
And shines on high the orb of day, 
As now a group of rangers bold 
A council of importance hold. 
Beside the late deserted lair 



A CALIFORNIA TALE. 

Three stiffening corpses upward stare, 
And bound beneath a white oak tree 
A prisoner stoops in agony. 
His head is drooj)ed upon his breast, 
And both his hands are fiercely pressed 
Against his cloak, all crimson dyed 
With life's now swiftly ebbing tide; 
For life it is that surely flows, 
And this the silent sufferer knows; 
But a thought is burning in his brain, 
And his wound becomes the lesser pain, 
As he dwells upon the years of woe 
That HER true heart must undergo, 
And he lifts his head with a hollow groan : 
It is — ye gods — it is Ramon. 

"Now prisoner, if you deign to tell 
What we shall else by force compel, 
Ten minutes' time we grant; confess 
The truth, the whole truth, nothing less. 
Concerning this infernal band 
That depredates our peaceful land; 
Their names, abodes, concealments, plans; 
If not — your eye this halter scans — 
Your neck shall feel it — come, we spare, 
Or swing your carcass high in air." 
Ramon in faintest tone replies: 

"Your prisoner, sir, already dies, 



43 



40 . EosiTA : 

"When liouiids and liuntcr.s Inirry in. 

Without 'tis starlight, but within 

No struggling my can pierce the gloom, 

Ancl all's as silent as a tomb. 

That silence wakes, a shot resounds, 

And ci'ies ring out of "Back ye hounds," 

As vigilantes burst the door 

And flash a gleam of light l)efore; 

Revealing — crash, the lantern falls, 

Pierced by a dozen pistol balls; 

As swift the robbei's meet th'" attack, 

And clashing knives and pistol's crack. 

And oaths and blows and timbers breaking. 

And fiendish yells, the echoes waking, 

Tell that a conflict fierce they wage, 

As hand to hand they now engage. 

Woe to the robber here Avho falls, 

Or fails to burst the cabin walls; 

For now so fierce, so wild the ftay, 

He surely dies who dares to stay; 

And well they know it, swift their flight, 

Befriended well by darksome night; 

Their only hope the shadowy grove. 

Where saddled horses idly rove. 

The shots, the yells, and th' hurried tread 
Have roused Joaquin from his leafy bed; 
He pauses a moment to mark the fra}-. 



A CALIFORNIA TALE. ' 41 

Then springs on his steed and darts away; 
Away to the strife, but not alone, 
Behind, like a shadow, hies Ramon; 
For where his chieftain deigns to guide, 
Ramon ail fearless seeks his side; 
Nor deems 'tis danger that he dares 
When brave Joaqnin the venture shares. 
Away, away, not a moment speeds 
Ere up to the door they wheel their steeds; 
But brief their pa vise, for soon they know 
No friend is there, but many a foe; 
For many a hostile shot resounds. 
And many a foe to the saddle bounds; 
But one does not, for tlio' 'tis dark, 
Joaquin's true bullet strikes the mark. 
As hies his steed to the vale below, 
Swift as an arrow from the bow, 
Not once he turns his mate to greet, 
For close behind he hears the beat 
Of clattering hoofs, as on they strain, 
With jingling spur and loosened rein; 
But the hindmost horse heeds not the check. 
And gains in speed, till neck and neck 
The}^ gallop now; the chieftain stares. 
For the steed beside no rider bears; 
And bursts from his lips a groan of pain. 
And his hand so wildly grasps the rein 
That his mustang rears, thus fiercely bound, 



38 ROsiTA : 

In copious draughts of liquid fire, 
Supplied by Powers. Wilder, higher 
The tumult swells, as scarcely able 
Mariana mounts the creaking table. 
And led by him, the reckless throng 
Like demons howl the following song: 

This laud is ours, this land is ours, 

From far Sierra to the sea, 
Its hills and dales aud lovely bowers 

Are dear to us — to us are Iree; 
But roaming now where'er we will, 

From north to south, from hill to strand. 
The cursed Gringo meets us still, 

And scorns us in our native land. 

This land is ours, this land is ours, 

The fairest 'tis beneath the sky; 
We are the children which it dowers, 

Tho' strangers all our claims deny; 
And cursed be those who dare oppose 

Our rights and privileges to-day; 
With every breath we'll wish them death. 

And hunt aud crush them when we may. 

This laud is ours, this land is ours. 
The richest 'tis beneath the sun. 

Each rock and hill the stranger scours 
That fortune lightly may be won; 

But let him bend, and sweat, and toil. 
We'll watch like foxes for the prey. 



A 'CALIFORNIA TALE. 39 

And soon relieved of all his spoil 
His form shall rot beneath the clay. 

So fill yoiir Clips, m}' comrades bold, 

And driuk to Gringo's quick success, 
Who toils and sweats to gain the gold 

Which we shall soon by force possess; 
And prime your pistols, whet your knives. 

The secret work must soon be done ; 
Without a share of cursed lives 

The booty gained is dearly won. 

As swells the sounds of mirth so high, 

Within is heard a muffled cry, 

And robbers quake to hear the sound 

Of "vigilantes" whispered round. 

A sudden hush succeeds to mirth, 

Tbe fire is quenched upon the hearth, 

The light extinguished, and the door 

Is barred by braces 'gainst the floor, 

And all so quickly one might deem 

The former tumult but a dream; 

So dark it is within the walls. 

So deep the silence now that falls; 

Unbroken save by pistol's click, 

Or breath of fear so short and thick, 

As close the trembling outlaws stand 

With knives and pistols clutched in hand, 

Awaiting, fearing the attack; 

As crouch at bay the wolfish pack 



44 ROSITA : 

But were he "blest with livei5 a score 
Efich life should j-ielcl to death 'before 
The cursed Griugos e'er sliould wrest 
One wished-for secret from raj' breast." 

"Ul^ witli him, boys, and choke him well, 
The thieving hound shall die or tell." 
And answering quick the leader's beck 
The dreadful noose is 'round his neck, 
And ere his lips may breath a prayer 
His quivering body swings in air. 
Oh, fearful sight to pitying eyes; 

"Enough, enough," the leader cries, 
As with a quick, convulsive thrill 
The heaving breast and limbs are still. 
As sinks the victim to the ground, 
His fierce tormentors gather round, 
And anxiously tho' roughly strive 
The poor unfortunate to revive. 
In vain, in vain, misguided men, 
Those lips shall ne'er respond again; 
Those midnight eyes are fixed in death; 
Forever flown the fluttering breath ; 
And stilled the heart which here has spilt. 
Whether in innocence or guilt, 
Its last red droj) ere you could prove 
It false to frieudshij) or to love. 

Merrily glides the Uvas stream, 



A CALIFOUSIA TALE. 45 

Laving- the rocks with silvery gleam; 

Whirliug- the yellow leaves along, 

Singing its low and ceaseless song, 

Which mingles oft with th' whispering sigh 

Of the bi'eeze among the branches nigh; 

Where ^^erched the murmuring stream above, 

So softh' mourns the turtle dove; 

Or echoes far the varj'ing note 

From many a warbler's tuneful throat. 

So sweet the sounds that greet the ear; 

One ne'er would dream of discord here; 

And yet to searching eyes I ween 

The signs of strife may yet be seen; 

The footprint deep, the bloody stain. 

Or darker tokens that remain; 

For still those frightful corjjses stare; 

And dung l)eside, their sj^p to share, 

Behold Ramon, where late he sunk 

Neglected lies his headless trunk. 



'Now all aboard," and at the shout 
The dust stained travelers hurry out, 
And deeming well their baggage tied, 
Mount to the top or climb inside 
The lumbering coach, and here and there 
The driver flits, collecting fare; 
While hostlers handily hocfiv the trace. 



4(5 



Or tling the harness to its place, 

Till the restless steeds are ready quite, 

And the i>asseugers crowded iu — "A.11 rijjht/ 

And Jehu's face with pleasure shines 

As in the box he grasps the lines; 

A moment pausing in his need 

To take a chew of the filthy weed; 

Then cracks his whij) — away they speed; 

And now along the lonely road. 

Full many a mile from man's abode, 

Tlie stagers whirl their Imman freight, 

^Vho well enjoy the "ten-mile gait," 

As on they jolt and rock and grind, 

While clouds of dust roll uj) behind 

Filling their eyes and ears with grime. 

But Jehu's bound to be on time, 

And ne'er a moment slackens sjjeed 

Tho' children cry or women plead; 

Or crusty bachelors groan and swear, 

For time must be his only care. 

At length the hills before them rise, 

In natures rough though lovely guise, 

And Avinds the narrowed road between 

Large clumps of oak and thickets green; 

Where more uneven still the way. 

The rocks and roots their 8i)eed delay, 

As up or down the sudden stee}!, 

Or round the cui-ves they seem to creep, 



A CALIFOKXIA TALE. 

Till twice they cross the pebbly stream, 

And halt at last to breathe the team. 

A lovely niche within the hill 

Their resting- place; a tiny rill 

Comes trickling- down the brushy height, 

And circles in a jDOol so bright, 

It mirrors all the copse above; 

And far below the eye may rove 

O'er distant groves and meadows green, 

Through which the winding road is seen. 

So fair the view it charms the eye, 

And admiration rises high. 

But scenes like this to Jehu's eyes 

Are more familiar, and he hies 

Now to and from the limped pool. 

His panting horses' thirst to cool. 

But midway suddenly he stoj^s. 

And from his hand^the bucket drops; 

For his quick ear has caught the sound 

Of coming hoofs, and with a bound 

He holds the leaders well in hand. 

Nor deems it safe to quit his stand, • 

As round a curve two horsemen dash 

On fleetest steeds, and in a flash, 

Ere he has time to think of fright,] 

E'en as they pass him in their flight, 

A lariata binds him round 

And jerks him senseless to the ground; 



47 



4:8 RosiTA : 

But ere the steeds their freedom g^in 
The tierce vaquoro grasps the rein. 
And checks them 'gainst the brushy hill; 
While his coiupauiou Hercer still 
Before the frightened travelers stands 
With cocked revolvers in his hands. 

"Hold up your arms — up, up," he cries 

"Who e'er refuses surely dies. 
My name's Joaquiii, my band is near; 
Be quiet and you need not fear. 
Francisco, quick, that driver bind, 
Then search the boot, the box you'll tind; 
Shiver the padlocks with your ax, 
And if j'ou find the canvass sacks 
Take them and leave all else intact. 
And when you have them safely jiacked 
Upon your saddle, mount ^nd Hy, 
I'll overtake you l:)y and by. 
Hold up your hands, sir; lady dear,' 
I pray thee check tliy rising fear, 
For all the world I would not harm 
A hair of thee, but lift thy arm; 
The slightest chance I cannot take. 
For I have life and more at stake. 
Francisco, ah, you're off at last; 
Go on, I'll see you safely past; 
Then speed. An(] now my frrtrtids to you. 
And gracefully he bows — "adieu." 



X CALIFORNIA TALE. 49 

And with his pistols leveled still 
He backs his horse adown the hill, 
Then wheels hini 'round in swiftest tiighfc 
And disappears at once from sight. 

Tho' trembling- still from recent fright, 
The passengers at length alig-ht, 
And cut the gordian knots that bind 
Unhappy Jehu, still reclined 
All in a heap beside the way, 
The vanquished victim of the |ray. 
By them assisted to his feet 
He staggers slowly toward a seat 
Beside the pool, a mossy stone, 
On which he sinks with heavy groan; 
And bending now to lave his brow 
He mutters fiercely to himself: 
*'A curse upon the company's pelf; 
When all advice they disregard, 
And trust it here without a ward; 
If me responsible they hold 
For one lost dollar of their gold, 
By e'en so much as one reproach. 
Some other fool may drive their coach; 
I'm sick of it; of late tve seen 
Too many villains like Joaquin." 
And now his fit of faiutness o'er, 
He rises to his feet once more; 



Flings up the broken box, uiul leads 

Back to their place the tan<>le(l .steeds; 

And having all to rights restored, 

Climbs to his seat and shouts "Aboard;" 

Then speeds his horses up the gi-ade 

To gain the time so long delayed ; 

And as they move, Joaquin at last 

Becomes a wasted theme — surpassed — 

As tourists now in safety bold 

Their wildest narratives unfold, 

Of fierce banditti 'mong the Alps, 

Of Indian massacres and scalps; 

Of ghosts at midnight — horrid shapes — 

And wonderful hair-breadth escapes; 

But soon they climb the glorious hills. 

And now each breast with pleasui-e thrills, 

Each eye with admiration fires, 

And every tongue in haste asjnres 

To yield the praise so justly due 

To the fair fields that meet the view; 

Till fear, conceit, and e'en Joaquin 

Are half forgotten in the scene. 

As far the stormy petrel flies, 
Treading the Tnllows as they rise ; 
Now high along tlu^ Afatcry pave. 
Now dee]) within the hollowed wave, 
From which emerging far away, 



A DALIFOKMA TALK. 51 

Among the glittering- clouds of spray, 
It wings its Avay in swiftest flight, 
At times concealed, again in sight; 
80 far along the summits gray 
A lonely horseman takes his way; 
O'er many a ridge, in many a glen, 
He disappears to rise again 
On some far hill, from which he roves 
Through copses wild or shadowy groves, 
Till many a mile is left behind; 
And Phoebus o'er the wave declined, 
Yields but a faint and struggling ray 
To point his dark and lonely way, 
Until he gains and treads aright 
The winding path to Loma's height. 

"Ah, my Joaquin, when thou dost stray. 
The hours drag wearily away; 
How wearily thou canst not know; 
Tho' pressed by many a deadly foe, 
O'er dangei'ous paths, the varied scene 
Around thee changing still I ween 
Employs thy mind until our lot, 
However sad is well forgot. 
But, ah, how difierent with me. 
Too frail, too weak to roam with thee,. 
In limits here perforce confined 
With that unhappy fiend, the mind, 



52 



To toi'ture lue; oli who can guess 
The measure of my loue distress; 
For lone I am when far from thee, 
Tho' hundreds hear nie company. 
Ah, what forbodings tilled my breast 
When fur along t)ld Loma's crest 
I saw thee wave thy last adieu, 
And turn so swiftly from my view; 
'Twas then my courage me forsook, 
And doul)t and fear possession took 
Of my j)()or lieart, and hour by hour 
I watched beneath the lilac l)ower 
That crowns our cave; Rosita shariug 
My vigil saw me thus despairing. 
And begged me wildly to take heart, 
As 'twas the last time we should part; 
And oh I feared it was too true, 
Tliou ne'er again wouldst bless my view 
J>iit I was wrong, love, doubly wrong, 
For here again I feel thy strong 
And loving arm, and well I trace 
Thfe token in thy handsome face 
That bids me hojie for that success 
Whicli ends my fear, my loneliness." 

'Yes, yes, my sweet, unhapp}' one, 
Thy fear, thy loneliness are done; 
No more shalt thou our fortune rue 



A CALIFORNIA TALE. 

Whilst I like fox the game pursue ; 
No more at even shalt thou wait 
In ignorance of thy loved-one's fate, 
Whilst like the panting deer I fly, 
With hounds and hunters in full cry; 
Our days of strife shall well be o'er 
AVhen far behind us fades the shore — 
The shore which even now bestows 
Our fortune linked with later woes; 
For tho' our fondest hopes are won, 
Our friends, Marie, are all undone." 

'Undone, Joaquin— oh say not so." 
'I must — be brave — and thou shalt know 
The worst. When I returned alone 
Thou heardst Rosita's cry ' Ramon, 
Where, where is he ?' and for her sake 
Some trivial answer I did make; 
And mentioned unforseen delay, 
And that he would return to-day — 
To-day at noon; he comes, Marie, 
But sad that late return will be; 
My comrades bear him to the height. 
And here within the cave to-night 
He must be buried. Love be brave; 
It rests with thee alone to- pave 
Her path to grief, to help her bear 
This shock, and lighten her despair. 



53 



54 R081TA : 

No easy task I fear 'twill prove, 
But thou canst give a sister's love — 
A sister's efibrt^ and thy heart 
If brave some courage may impart. 
One moment, for I've more to tell, 
All hough it racks my heart to dwell 
On woes which blanch thy lovely cheek. 
And thrill thy frame so frail and weak; 
But e'en the worst thou now must share; 
And thus I speak: my comrades bear 
A headless corpse! Be calm, marie, 
For »ow a heroine thou must be. 
But ah, no wonder thou art shaken^ 
When thus Kosita is o'ertaken, 
And doomed by fate to such distress 
Upon the eve of happiness. 
Come, rest thee in these shelt'ring arms, 
And soothe thy fluttering heart's alarms, 
And when thou deemst thyself composed, 
This depth of woe must be disclosed 
By thee to her, whose breaking heart 
"NVill need thy calmest, gentlest art." 

■\Vith trembling limbs and blanching cheeks, 
Marie her fair companion seeks, 
To bi-eathe a tale of grief and woe, 
AVhich poor llosita needs must know; 
And hor's must be the double pai't 



A CALIFORNIA TALE. 

Of hopeful mein, Iho' breating heart; 
And she must still the theme pursue, 
Revealing e'en the worst to view; 
Yet in such manner as to veil 
The woes her friend may most bewail. 
But ah, how true her inmost fears, 
A broken heart no effort cheers; 
And wild is the despair expressed 
In poor Rosita's heaving breast, 
And bloodless lips and clenching hands, 
As white and motionless she stands; 
And oh, how set her glittering eye, 
AVhose fountains backward seem to fly, 
As sinks from sight the desert stream, 
Leaving the burning sands to gleam; 
And could the light cloud's misty rain 
O'erflow thosa burning sands again, 
Thy tears, Marie, as swift they flow. 
Might soothe thy comrades breast of woe; 
But all its drops that cloud may shed. 
They sink nor cool the streamlet's bed, 
And all thy sighs and tears are vain. 
For pity's drops are naught to pain. 

Within the cave a corpse is laid; 
Beside the bier a stricken maid, 
And o'er the living and the dead 
The waxen candles dimly shed 



55 



66 ROSITA : 

Their jjale, unearthly light, revealing 
A ^voetul sight, as gently kneeling, 
That lovely mourner lifts the j^all. 
And thus her frenzied accents fall: 

"And thou art dead, my poor Ramon, 
And I am lef L alone, alone, 

To sorrow o'er thy soulless clay. 
Which soon must vanish from my sight; 

Leaving me here to drag away 
A life which loneliness doth blight. 

And my sad soul, by anguish riven. 
Hath noi. the boon to others given. 

To look its last on thy dear face, 
And gently close thy sightless eyes; 

Thy brow receives not my embrace, 
Thy lips' last smile e'en, fate denies. 

I lay my head upon thy breast, 

I clasp the hands that oft caressed; 

But ah, tliy fingers are as cold, 
Thy arms as rigid as of stone; 

They ne'er again will me enfold, 
For thou art dead, Ramon, Ramon. 

I would my fate were linked with thine, 
Beside thee I would fain recline; 

For oh, there's woe in every breath 
That yields the life unsought by me. 



A CALlFOnNlA TALE. 

Existence is a lifelong death, 
From wliicli, oh, Heaven, set me free." 

And now she bows beside the bier 
As if in prayer, till friends aj^pear, 
For soon beneath these flickering lights 
Must be performed the sacred rites 
With which the living well intrust 
Their dead to earth's all conquering dust, 

Ramon lies buried in the cave; 

Rosita sorrows o'er his grave, 

And just beyond the lilac bloom 

That marks the entrance to the tomb, 

Marie has sought her husband's side, 

From which no more she will divide; 

And as the f)ath they slowly trace. 

She looks intently in his face, 

And well has guessed his inmost thought, 

Ere from his parting lips 'tis caught. 

■"My love, tho' grief may bind us here, 
New perils hourly gather near; 
For some among the motley band 
That late acknowledged my command, 
Are cold and cunning brutes at heart, 
And information might impart 
Concerning me which here would lead 
The minions of the law. Indeed 



57 



68 ROSITA •. 

So truly anxious have I grown, 
That Kj)ite of her and jjoor Ivamon, 
I dare no longer truht the fate 
AVhieh has so treacherous proved of late; 
And thus do urge this very night 
As most propitious for our flight. 
Our boat awaits us on the shore; 
And neatli its wing our sorrow's o'er. 
We'll waft us from this strand so far 
That e'en remenihrance cannot mar 
The pleasures of the happy home 
That waits our coming o'er the foam." 



"Yes, 3'eR, J(.)aquin, but w-hat of her 
Who would de})arture long defer. 
Perchance foi'evcr? e'en this morn, 
With wild embrace and look forlorn, 
She bade me steel my loving heart, 
'For oh,' cried she, 'Marie, we part, 
We needs must part; I cannot tear 
My heart from him, nor can we bear 
His form to happier climes; for oh, 
No happier clime tlian this I know. 
All, all are dark, all yield to me 
But woe, and pain, and misery;' 
And thus 'gainst pleading she will stay, 
And we cannot our flight delay." 



A CALIFORNIA TALE. 59 

**This her decision? Ah, mj love, 
Rosita's heart too weak will i:)rove 
To bear a parting thus severe; 
Her only friends are all too dear 
To be renounced at will forever; 
Mark me, from us she will not sever. 
But other themes let us pursue, 
To-night this subject we renew; 
And now as o'er the hills we roam, 
I'll point thee where upon the foam 
Our little bark's white sail to view, 
Seems like a star in heaven's blue; 
And as we walk, our eyes must rove 
Their last o'er hill and vale and grove, 
For long ere sunrise we shall be 
On ocean's breast afar and free." 

And thus like lovers young they stray 
Till sinks the sun, and fading day 
Hurries them to the cave, where grief 
In woeful moaning seeks relief; 
And whera, tho' filled with j)itying care. 
For secret flight they must prepare. 

Too swiftly comes the parting hour, 
For love and grief have not the power 
To sway Rosita's ruthless will; 
And yet her friends hope on until 



60 



Be.siile the cive with saddled steeds, 
The brave Francisco waits their needs; 
And still, thu' wild they have appealed, 
She cannot and she will not yield; 
And they must part. The moon is high, 
And white clouds o'r the heavens fly; 
Their shadows Hitting o'er the scene 
Lilie forms in dieams, as speaks Joaquin: 

'Farewell, my fricnl; despite this woe, 
The time is up and we must go. 
It wrings nij' heart to see thee stay, 
But now too long our steps delay. 
Farewell; if e'er thou needst a friend 
But seek Joaquin and he will lend 
His heart, his hand to thy fair will, 
His life if need be, for he still 
In good or ill remembers thee, 
As deai'est friend of his Marie." 

At this she turns a pallid face. 

Yet calmly seeks his warm embrace; 

Once yields her lips to iiis caress, 

And calls on iKaven her friend to bless. 

But sadder moments yet remain. 

And heaves her bosom, throbs her brain, 

As close she clasps her lovely mate; 

Now loud bemoaninir cruel fate 



I 

A CALIFORNIA TALK. Gl 



That severs thus the friends of years; 
And checking not the bitter tears 
That coui-se adown that comrade's cheeks, 
In accents tremulous she sjDeaks: 



"Weep not for me, my long tried friend; 
Thy cheerful parting- now must lend 
Me strength renewed my ills to bear, 
And save my heart from quick despair. 
I cannot leave with thee the strand, 
For I am wedded to this land 
By bonds which I can never break. 
By ties which I cannot forsake; 
My love is here, my heart is here. 
And one whom I would fain be near; 
So with thy pleading grieve me not, 
Let poor Rosita be forgot, 
Nor seek to break my spoken will, 

'Twill only make it firmer still; 
And now, Marie, thy dangerous road 
Lies dark before and must be trod. 
So let me clasjD thee close once more 
Ere thou dost seek the distant shore. 
And rest thee on thy comrade's breast, 
And for the last time be caressed; 
And oh, our parting must be o'er; 
Farewell, farewell, forever more." 



62 ROSITA : 

And now alone, at dead of nip^htj 
Rosita stands on Loma's heijjlit. 



From El Dorado's misty shores 
Tlie boatmen dip their tlashing oars, 
And tlin<^- aloft their snowy sails 
To catch the fleetness of the gales; 
And all d;iy long you may descry 
Their distant barks against the sky, 
Like mighty sea-birds drooped to rest 
On ocean's heaving, glittering breast; 
And when the shades of evening lower, 
And softly comes the twilight hour. 
Full many a bark's white wings expand. 
And many a mariner seeks the land. 
Where eyes so bright, grow brighter still. 
And lightest hearts with blessings thrill, 
And youthful steps so lightly roam 
To greet the weary wanderers home; 
But hearts with anguish deep must burn 
When friends depart to ne'er return; 
When hands must clasp, and lips must say 
The wild farewells which are for aye; 
No more to meet, oh, must it be? 
Our answer is the lapjjing sea. 
The ris ng anchor, and the sail 
Now swelling gently to the gale. 



A. CALIFORNIA TALE. 

At last the dreaded signal's given, 

And heart from hearD is licrceij riven; 

And tho' our loved ones toward us lean 

The seething waters roll between, 

Still widening as the mournful fay 

Comes o'er the wave, " Grood bye, good bye. 

The morning air is calm and still. 

And Sol looks o'er the eastern hill, 

As once again from Loma's crest 

Rosita scans the ocean's breast; 

No lovely mate is by her side 

To watch with her the silvei-y tide. 

Or share with an enjoyment keen 

The wondrous beauty of the scene, 

Where mountains, groves and vales below 

Extend to meet the ocean's flow. 

Tho' nature smiles she heeds it not: 

Alone and sad she treads the spot. 

And scans with eager anxious eyes 

The distant^line of seas and skies. 

Where one lone sail upon the blue 

Is speeding swiftly from her view. 

''At last thou'rt safe my 'fair Marie, 
And thou, Joaquin, art also free. 
And but for me were happy both; 
And oh, my anguished heart is loth 



63 



€4 



To mar sucli happiness as thine 
With thouj^hts of misery deep as mine- 
But soon thy bark now glijling free 
Will bring forgetfulness of me; 
For other's griefs but lightly move 
Fond hearts entwined in deepest love, 
And I would have it so with thee. 
Adieu, adieu, no more I see 
Tlie tiny sail which wafts thee well 
From one who loves, yet cries farewell." 

How calm she seems as thus she speaks, 
No tear-drop glistens on her cheeks, 
But hard set teeth and gleaming eyes 
Proclaim that human miseries 
Were never deeper than her own, 
Whose only echo is a moan; 
As now she turns, she knows not where. 
She only knows the dull despair 
That tugs her heart-strings; oh that they 
Would break within her breast, and slay 
Her in an instant, for 'twere bliss 
To leave this world, this wilderness, 
The last and only boon she craves. 
At this she marks the pine that waves 
Its fragrant branches just above 
The lilac clump 'neath which her love 
In death's embrace lies cold and still 



k CALIFORNIA TALE. 65 



Within the bosom of the hill; 
And with a long drawn sobbing cry 
She seeks and gains that refuge nigh. 
And parting quick the lilac bloom 
Is lost to sight within the tomb. 



Full thirty years have passed away, 

And in that time we well may say 

No eye in this fair land hath seen 

Marie, Rosita or Joaquin. 

The first and last together are, 

And that strange fate that once did mar 

Their struggles brave with strife and tears, 

Now blesses their declining years 

With peace and plenty, in a land 

Far south of California's strand; 

But oft Marie, with bitter tears 

Laments the friend of other years; 

And oft Joaquin a sigh bestows 

On memories sad, for neither knows 

Rosita's fate; nor can they learn 

One word of her for whom they yearn. 

And did she make with him her grave ? 
And does she sleep within the cave, 
Now hidden far from mortal sight 
By time's obliterating flight ? 



66 BosiTA : 

Ah, ask me not, but Jist a tale 
"Which lute I gleaned within the vale; 
As fair conclusion to my strain, 
Oh may I sin^,' it not in vain. 



"Oh Death, thy waters as they roll 
Are music to the wearied soul; 
There's comfort in thy ceaseless waves 
To many a broken he^rt that craves 
A long, oblivious, sweet re])ose 
From life-long ills and cureless woes; 
And if the soul within thy deep 
Sinks into everlasting sleep, 
'Tis better far for life again 
Would only be returning pain, 
Recuriing misery and regret; 
For some tilings we can ne'er forget, 
And anguish o'er the heart will steal 
For wounds there are that never heal." 

When tides of immigration rolled 

To California's shores of gold, 

And thousands dared the desert plains 

To laj^ the fever in their veins, 

There oft ajjpeared the crowds among, 

A handsome stranger fair and young, 



A CALIFORNIA TALB. 

Of graceful form and timid air, 
And azure eyes and curling- hair; 
And HO ambitious did lie seem 
That soon he gained the warm esteem 
Of many a friend; nor long did spoil 
For lack of profitable toil, 
For many an eye beheld how well 
His art the fiery steed could quell, 
And recognized in his fair hand 
A touch of love which could command 
Returning love from e'en a brute; 
And thus he gained so wide repute 
That soon across the golden land 
'King of the road' with six in hand, 
Our stranger sped for many a day, 
Braving the hardships of the way 
Although effeminate he seemed. 
The loose observer little dreamed 
Of his endurance, pluck and will. 
Now equaled only by his skill. 
Companions all he seemed to shun, 
Tho' doted on by many a one; 
And if by friends allowed a choice. 
Would never raise his flute-like voice 
In conversation; yes or no 
Was oft the most he would bestow; 
And Avho he was, from whence he came, 
His kith and kin, his very name, 



67 



68 ROSITA ', 

Noue knew, and all who sought to gain 
That infoimatiou sought in vain ; 
As Charley was our stranger known, 
Was Charley still when years had flown. 
And this was all; thus o'er him hung 
Strange mystery for one so young. 
Full twenty years went swiftly past, 
And he of fortune had amassed 
Enough to comfort him in age. 
And close respectably the page 
Of earthly life. His name was heard 
Almost as 'twere a household word; 
His geuerous deeds on every tongue; 
His bravery so widely sung; 
His wild escapes from robbers bold; 
His accidents by tourists told; 
All these and more had made his name 
A by-word on the lip of fame. 
But weighed by years of hai-dship now. 
His slend(!r franie began to bow; 
His hair with gray was sj^rinkled o'er; 
His cheeks were round and pink no more; 
And wrinkles gathering here and there 
Betrayed the ruthless touch of care. 
H-e felt 'twas time to fly from toil, 
And seek contentment from the spoil 
Of twenty years; and he did roam. 
And found at last a pretty home — 



A CALIFORNIA TALE. 

A cottage in a cozy nook 

Upon the liills which overlook 

The vale, the shore, and glittering sea; 

And there from agitation free, 

He lived as did in olden tale, 

The "Gentle Hermit of the Dale." 

Ten peaceful years thus rolled around; 

No longer did his praise resound; 

His little cot was seldom sought; 

His very name almost forgot, 

Save when remembrance haply stirred 

Some thoughtful breast; and then the word 

Had not the ring of former years, 

So fickle friendship oft appears. 

Disease had fixed on him her fangs; 

And yet, tho' pierced Avith sharpest pangs, 

He sought no comfort from the crowd, 

But in submission gently bowed, 

For hours would sit within his door 

And gaze upon the scenes before; 

Or hear the distant billows roll. 

While oft the glistening tear-drops stole 

Adown his cheek; or he would stray 

Within his garden's fair array. 

Where bud and bloom and flow'ret rare 

In fragrant beauty blest his care. 

At last, 'twas in the month of May, 



ea 



TO ROsiTA : 

When meadows bloom, and lovers stray; 
A lonely sportsman strolling near, 
Perchance in need of rest and cheer. 
His cottage sought, and not in vain. 
For easy access he did gain; 
And there upon a couch reclined, 
With wasting frame and wandering mind, 
Poor Charley met his startled gaze; 
And on his eye the deathly glaze; 
And on his brow the pallid hue; 
And on his lips the darkening blue; 
And in his faint and fluttering breath 
The gasp that tells of coming death. 
Bespoke of friendship little }ieed; 
Yet down the hills at swiftest speed 
That sportsman flew to summon aid. 
Nor were his footsteps lightly stayed 
Till with that aid he did return. 
Too late — the flame had ceased to burn. 

And now behold, from far and near, 
Poor Charley's friends at once appear; 
And tho' too late his life to save 
They yet may deck him for the grave; 
And o'er his form their forms are bent: 
Why start they with astonishment? 
Why are their looks and accents flung 
From eye to eye and tongue to tongue, 



ik. CALrFORNIA TALE. 

As if some secret glimmers there 

Which it were sacrilege to share ? 

It was a secret — now no more: 

A woman lies their eyes before; 

A woman, who with bravest heart 

Yet frailest form, has taken part 

In life's vicissitudes at length, 

And measured e'en with man her strength, 

And in life's struggle has prevailed 

Where man has oft ignobly failed. 

They gently closed her mournful eyes, 
And breathed above, their heart-felt sighs; 
And watched her as she lay at rest 
With white hands folded on her breast. 
No look of pain her features wore, 
And death seemed partly to restore 
The youthful loveliness which care. 
Had marred so woefully. Her fair 
Unwrinkled brow seemed brightly crowned 
With silvery tresses clustering round; 
And on her lips a smile had curled, 
Betok'ning peace with all the world. 
They searched, and yet no clue did gain, 
Save round her neck a slender chain; 
And on her bosom long concealed 
A tiny locket which revealed 
Two miniatures; the one, a fair 



71 



72 RosiTA : 

And lovely maid, whose auburn liair 
In ringlets fell around a face 
Wherein the gazer well might trace 
Familiar features — even those 
So lately locked in death's repose. 
The other well portrayed a young 
And handsome man, with dark hair flung 
Back from a forehead broad and high; 
As black as night his glittering eye; 
And his brown face was free from beard. 
And on his lips a smile appeared; 
And 'round his neck a scarf of red. 
"Her lover's face" the matrons said; 
B'lt old wiseacre being there. 
Observed the miniature with care, 
And said the countenance he knew. 
As 'twas exposed to public view 
In a museum day by day; 
Nor would he hesitate to say. 
If e'er the robber he had seen 
This was the jjortrait of Joaquin. 
But his assertions went for naught. 
For careful hands the secret sought, 
And when the paintings from their places 
Were well removed, within the cases 
In tracings elegant were shown 
The names 

EOSITA AND RAMON. 



LIBRORY OF CONGRESS 



000 129 169 5 • 



